Solar power developers are in talks
with major property companies to build solar-powered houses that will significantly
cut the homeowners’ electricity bills.

Philippine Solar Power Alliance
spokesman Tetchie Capellan said discussions were ongoing with Sta. Lucia Realty
and Development Inc., Fil-Estate Properties and Avida Land for the solar
rooftop projects.

“As we enter 2013, we would like to
focus on the solar rooftops because we believe that this is going to be a major
initiative by the industry in providing solutions to our problems in the energy
sector. We are working with developers for new builds. We are exploring
partnership with them,” Capellan told reporters during a conference organized
by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit or GIZ.

Capellan said the company was working
with property developers that build housing units with cost of P3 million to P5
million and with higher power consumption than low-cost housing units.

She said the company asked developers
to bundle the expesnses of the solar rooftop of around P378,000 into the
housing cost.The return on investment
for the solar rooftop takes about seven years.